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William Penn, as proprietor of
Penn's Woods, was an aggressive and active promoter of his new
land. "The country itself," he wrote, "its soil, air, water,
seasons and produce, both natural and artificial, is not to be
despised." Pennsylvania still contains a rich diversity of
natural and geological features.
One of the original thirteen colonies, Pennsylvania is today
surrounded by the states of New York, New Jersey, Delaware,
Maryland, West Virginia, and Ohio. It has a land area of
44,820 square miles and 735 square miles of the area of Lake
Erie. It ranks 33rd in area among the 50 states. Pennsylvania
has an average width of 285 miles, east to west, and an
average north-to-south distance of 156 miles.
Only the Delaware River on the east and about 40 miles of Lake
Erie in the northwest corner form natural boundaries.
Elsewhere borders are based on those established in the
charter granted to William Penn by King Charles II of England,
although it was 1787 before land and border disputes with
other states were settled and Pennsylvania took clear title to
its land. The most famous border dispute was with Maryland and
was ultimately settled when the English Crown accepted the
Mason-Dixon Line in 1769, a border which, in subsequent years,
became the symbolic demarcation in the United States between
the North and the South.
A dissected plateau covers Pennsylvania's northern and western
sections, ranging from about 2,000 feet above sea level in the
northern tier of counties to about 1,200 feet south of
Pittsburgh. A broad belt of wide valleys, alternating with
narrow mountains, stretches across the state from the
south-central boundary to the northeast corner. To the east of
this section is the Great Valley, which is divided into
southern, central, and eastern sections - the Cumberland,
Lebanon, and Lehigh valleys, respectively. Further to the east
is a line of discontinuous mountains, as well as lowlands of
irregular form and a deeply dissected plateau of moderate
height which gradually slopes to the Delaware River. There is
also another lowland along the shores of Lake Erie.
Pennsylvania's highest peak is Mt. Davis on Negro Mountain in
Somerset County which has an elevation of 3,213 feet above sea
level.
Pennsylvania has three major river systems, the Delaware, the
Susquehanna, and the Ohio. The Delaware's important
tributaries are the Schuylkill and Lehigh Rivers. The
Susquehanna has north and west branches as does the Juniata
River. In the west, the Ohio River begins at the confluence of
the Allegheny and the Monongahela, and its tributaries include
the Youghiogheny, Beaver, and Clarion Rivers. The Ohio system
provides thirty-five percent of all the water emptying into
the Gulf of Mexico.
The state has a great variety of soils, ranging from extremely
rich in Lancaster County to very poor in the mountain regions.
Through advanced agricultural methods, a large part of
Pennsylvania soil which was only marginally fertile has been
made very productive. Originally Pennsylvania was a transition
zone between northern and southern primeval forests. In the
northern plateau area the original species were white pine and
hemlock, mixed with beech and sugar maple. In the southern
region, white oak, American chestnut, hickory, and chestnut
oak dominated. Innumerable forest fires and storms, unrecorded
by man, led to gradual change because they altered the soil
composition and the degree of shade from sunlight. Because
much land was later cleared by settlement and by lumber
operations, very little virgin timber remains, but even today
half the state is wooded.
Animal and bird life, including the wild pigeon, panther,
black bear, and Canada lynx, was abundant in the primeval
forest. The first of these species is now extinct, the second
has been exterminated, and the last two are no longer
abundant. Raccoons, squirrels, rabbits, skunks, and woodchucks
are still common, as are most of the smaller birds. Today,
deer, pheasants, rabbits, ducks, and turkeys are popular with
hunters. Pennsylvania's rivers were originally filled with
sturgeon, shad, salmon, trout, perch and, surprisingly,
mussels. State and federal agencies keep streams and ponds
well stocked, and trout, salmon and, walleyed pike are caught
in large numbers.
Pennsylvania ranks tenth in value of mineral production among
all the states. Coal, petroleum, natural gas, and cement are
the principal products. Others are fire clay, iron ore, lime,
slate, and stone.
In spite of its proximity to the ocean, Pennsylvania has a
continental climate because the prevailing winds are from the
west. This makes for extremes of heat and cold but not with so
marked a variation as in the central states. There are minor
climatic differences within the state because of altitude and
geological features. The frost-free period, for example, is
longest in southeastern Pennsylvania, in the Ohio and
Monongahela valleys in southwestern Pennsylvania, and in the
region bordering Lake Erie. The higher lands have only three
to five months free from frost. Rainfall throughout the state
is usually adequate for temperate zone crops.
Pennsylvania's location and its characteristics of climate,
waters, minerals, flora, and fauna helped shape the growth not
only of the state but of the entire nation. Midway between the
North and the South, the fledgling colony prospered and became
the keystone of the young nation.
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